Naruto Generation:The Fox, the Cat, and the Bird
by iWriteStuffSometimes
Summary: Currently under HIATUS.
1. Prologue: A mother's troubled thoughts

**Prologue**: "A mother's troubled thoughts."

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Maybe it was because of the rain. It had to be rain. I prayed it was the rain. Please, just let it be the rain. I had to blame her restless sobbing on something, anything. I always did. Having a reason would stop me from worrying so much.

"_Tonight, it's the rain."_

No amount of rocking or humming would keep her quiet. She was clean, I fed her plenty, and I swear she was healthy. What in the world could make a child so hysteric? I took her downstairs as always, swaying my body to comfort her. It never worked.

I was as helpless as she was, shuffling through the house with heavy eyes. Are you cold? Hot? Did you have a nightmare? Is the rain keeping you up? Oh how I wish you could tell me! Mama's here to make it better I promise.

"_Maybe mama wasn't so good at this."_

Should I call someone? No, I had already called the doctor earlier. She was my daughter, I had to figure it out on my own. I had to do this alone.

I sat on the rocking chair by the porch screen with her wailing as loud as ever, drowning out the storm outside. Exhaustion weighed down my eyes, bringing the burden of tears along with it. Tears meant to somehow relieve me from this uncertainty and loneliness.

I held it all back, not knowing how much more of this stress I could afford to bear. I tried to regulate my breathing. If I was calm, I prayed, she would be calm.

What else could I do? Would I ever be able to do enough for you? It seemed as though it was the same routine every night, and every night I chose yet another culprit guilty of causing her discomfort.

"_I can't do this, not by myself."_

With eyes that pleaded for answers, I looked into her face, red with the strain of sobbing. The house had always felt the emptiest once her cries echoed through it. That's enough, that's enough already! Don't make Mama go through this again!

It was no use. I felt so alone with her frantic and vulnerable in my arms, so ready to fall apart. It would be easy to cry as she did, and turn into a child again. I could simply rinse away with the beat of the storm and rolls of thunder that seemed closer with every

moment. It'd be fine if my eyes finally shut and let go of all the weight. It was not worth holding it in anymore, not now with all of this sadness and fear that cut away at the inside of my throat. There had to come a point where I should just…

_"Give up on your daughter."_

Wait. Open. With a painful swallow the heaviness cowered back into my chest. It scraped through my throat and burned it merciless, but my eyes were open I made sure of it.

The timing could not have been any less perfect, for at that moment, my daughter lay with her own eyes finally open, sniffling and shaking yet somehow calmer. Catching their stare into my own, I could see it. It was so subtle anyone else would have missed it.

But I knew. It was a look too familiar to forget, and so purely blue. Those were _his_ eyes. Had I not noticed them like this before?

Suddenly I felt as though I had known my daughter longer than she had been alive. I understood her helplessness, her sadness, her discomfort. I knew then there was no weight to scorch my throat or blindfold me.

There was only my daughter and I, and it wasn't lonely. With that courage I saw in her stare… it was relieving.

"_Listen, you can actually hear it now. The rain sounds kind of nice don't you think?"_


	2. Chapter 1 Enter: Uzumaki Haruka!

**Chapter 1**

**Enter: Uzumaki Haruka!**

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"Damn it! Sorry, get out of the way I'm not stopping!"

...

Clear and quiet spring days had created a calming rhythm for the month of April in the village of Konohagakure.

That is, until the morning where a frenzied teenage girl with wild pink hair wreaked havoc among the streets in which she dashed through. Her constant

cursing and heavy running were the only warnings the villagers ahead of her path had to save themselves from being trampled.

As she passed, her image was barely a flash of pink that resembled the cherry blossoms of the current season, leaving behind her a trail of

dirt and smoke hurled into the air by her darting feet. As the dust settled onto the ground again, it revealed chaos struck

villagers with confused looks and the occasional cart or barrel that had been toppled over. As the flash gained distance, the people were left on a

final note:

"Sorry! I'm late!"

Two women who had stumbled onto each other during the mess stood and looked on towards where the pink flash had sped to.

"What in the world… was that Haruka?" said the shorter woman, placing her hand on her aching head.

"Uhn, I think so," the taller woman responded, painfully rubbing the spot on her arm where the

others head had abruptly hit her, "No one else could cause such a ruckus. Wait until her mother hears of this!"

"_I'm so screwed, why'd this have to happen today! Come on!"_

Simply moments earlier the hectic girl, Haruka, had been peacefully sprawled across her bed in an awkward yet comfortable fashion.

She hadn't realized at first when she woke that it was a bit brighter out than it should have been. With a lazy gaze out her window

it was clear she had slept in on the day where her attendance at the ninja academy was of utmost importance. The final exam. In a blink she had fully awakened,

hit her hip on the floor falling out of bed, threw a messy outfit on, and burst through the front door of her house with a piece of bread in her mouth.

She mentally apologized a thousand times to her mother, who had set a nice and hearty breakfast on the table for Haruka before heading off to work at the hospital earlier.

_ "It's all over for me when I get home today…"_

Haruka gulped at the image of her mother's threatening emerald eyes and sinister face scolding her for being late and causing mayhem in the streets.

Deciding she couldn't worry about her punishment at that moment, she sped up, yelling at the people in front of her to move while attempting to tie her

kunai pack around her right thigh. The action only caused her to further loose control of her balance until she was basically colliding with

everyone and everything ahead of her. She was followed by shrieks of alarm and the periodic

"Watch it!"

And

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

All Haruka could do at the moment was apologize. She had always been apologetic by default, and now her "sorry's" became so frequent they echoed throughout Konoha.

_ "I'll never even get close like this! There's got to be a faster way…"_

Suddenly her frantic blue stare caught sight of a fence leading into someone's backyard. Without a second thought she bolted hard left with a skid,

catching enough speed to hop over into the property. After landing roughly in a garden, and apologizing for it, she was led

to a narrow outdoor staircase that let her onto the roof of a house, and further ahead lay the jungle of rooftops and trees of the Hidden Leaf village.

Haruka took a second to observe what lay onward, catching a slight breath of relief when a corner of the Academy was

visible.

_ "No way! I might actually make it!"_

With newfound determination, she pressed on, hopping from roof to roof with her untamable lengthy hair flying free behind her.

To the villagers below she easily blended with the sakura blossoms that surrounded her in the background. For that split second, no one in

the village had ever looked so limitless.

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"Alright, the sooner you settle down the sooner we can begin."

A man well in his 40's with quite a noticeable scar across his nose and cheeks stood before his unruly classroom of young ninja students,

who seemed to care more about telling jokes and harassing each other instead of acknowledging his presence.

"Class, we need to get started. Settle down!"

From the back of the class a young kunoichi with her jet black hair tied up in a messy bun raised her hand high with uncertainty in her look.

"Iruka-sensei!" she managed to say over her disruptive classmates.

"Yes what is it Nara?" he addressed her by her last name, temporarily turning his attention to her and letting the class resume their rowdy behavior.

"Well, do we seriously have to start now? I mean, Haruka's not here yet and-"

Iruka sighed and cut her off, "Look Megumi, I know you're worried about your friend but rules are rules! If she's late, she must deal with the consequences of her choices."

The dark haired Nara Megumi groaned quietly in a slight annoyance, turning to the empty chair on her right with a worried look in her icy blue eyes.

_"Man Haruka, I can't believe you're not showing up. Now I have to take this exam all alone! Hmph!"_

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Iruka cried out, consuming his students in sudden startlement at his loud voice. He had finally gotten them to be quiet for a moment.

"Good. Now that I have your attention," he paused briefly to clear his throat, "we're going to begin with your final exam."

Moans and groans escaped from all sides of the classroom. Some students even put their heads down, feeling as though they had already failed.

Megumi simply rested her chin on her right hand, pouting at the fact that her friend had ditched her on what was hopefully going to be

their last day in the Ninja Academy. That is, if they passed the exam, or in her friend's case, even showed up for it in the first place.

"There's no use getting annoyed", Iruka continued to his students, "you've been training for this all year so you should be prepa-…"

Before he could finish, a deafening boom interrupted him mid-sentence, agitating the entire class into a shocked freeze.

The sound had come from the classroom door being mercilessly kicked clear off its hindges and then flying across the room,

barely skimming by Iruka's face and hitting the opposite wall with another bang. A breathless voice followed:

"I'm here don't start yet!"

It was clear to Iruka and the class that the source of the reckless high-pitched voice was Haruka before she even entered the room.

Panting heavily she made her way to the front of the startled classroom, stopping and facing her wide-eyed teacher. With another sudden movement,

she bowed pressing her palms and her nose straight to the floor in front of her structor's feet.

"Kya! I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei! Please let me take the exam! PLEASE DON'T FAIL ME I'M SO SORRY!"

Iruka's eyebrow twitched with a hint of surprise and irritation at Haruka's dramatic entrance and behavior.

_"What am I going to do with you Uzumaki…?"_

_. . ._

**Thanks for reading :)**

**Review if you want to, those are always appreciated.**

**Chapter 2 will come soon I promise~**

**I do not own Naruto or by any means am stating that this is the sequel to the series. Naruto is copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.**


	3. Chapter 2 Troublesome

**Chapter 2**

**Troublesome**

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The class was instantly consumed by whispers and giggles of all sorts in response to Haruka's exaggerated entrance.

"_Oh man she's going to be in sooo much trouble!"_

"_Of course she would be the one that's late. She's always so irresponsible."_

"_Haha! Look at her bowing like that! It's so awkward!"_

Haruka kept her head low, praying with every fiber of her body that her teacher would excuse her tardiness. She paid no mind to her

classmate's cheeky comments or how stupid she might have looked on the floor like that. Then again she had always been an oblivious kind of girl, and did things without fully thinking them through.

"Uzumaki stop embarrassing yourself and get up will ya?" It was clear from Iruka's tone that his temper was only going to get worse from this point forward.

The reckless cherry blossom hastily scrambled to her feet, holding guilty fire in her blue eyes as she braced herself for what her teacher was going to say.

"I'm not even going to waste my time asking why you are late, nor do I care, but that doesn't change the fact that you must deal with the consequences for it."

Iruka's words were accompanied by a crooked frown of vexation.

"B-but sensei I'm-" Haruka tried, but was interrupted in an instance.

"I don't want to hear another word!" His voice was a snap, and a sharp one. "No amount of apologizing is going to change anything.

You can't show up late and expect everything to be alright just by being sorry!"

Haruka frowned nervously and puffed her cheeks into a semi pout. She knew her teacher was right; she just didn't want to admit it,

or listen to him talk about it. From the back of the room her dark haired friend bore the same expression on her face, thinking her sensei could skip

on the lecture and give her friend a break for once. Megumi knew better than anyone that Haruka was just naturally a little foolhardy. But at least she had showed up right?

Iruka sighed and continued, "I'll still allow you to take the final exam."

With a look of pure gratitude now occupying her face, Haruka was about to jump for joy with thank yous but Iruka interrupted her once again,

"However! As punishment for being late and causing delay in class I'm adding an extra section to today's final exam."

As soon as he said this the classroom roared with a simultaneous

**"WHAT!"**

One of the students, a girl with blank white eyes and red triangular markings on her cheeks, spoke out in a rage from the front row, "THAT'S BULLSHIT! Why are we all getting punished for what stupid Haruka did! It's so unfair!"

"Did you just call me stupid you whore!" Haruka yelled at the girl, completely loosing her cool and switching her once grateful eyes with irked ones. The way her emotions snapped into opposites was quite alarming.

"Hell yeah I did, come closer so I can say it to your face!"

The wired girls butted foreheads with fists raised in the air and gritted teeth holding back growls, causing the entire class to rise on their toes in anticipation.

Beside them sat an uneasy girl who was a spinning image of her blank eyed sister, with only her longer hair to tell the two apart. She held a whimpering cream

colored puppy in one arm and tugged on the back of her twin sister's jacket with her free hand, speaking in a timid voice,

"Naomi please don't fight, you're causing a scene!"

"I don't give a damn if I'm causing a scene! This chick's gonna get it this time!" Naomi responded, disregarding her sister's warning.

She was encouraged by a bark and a snarl coming from a fluffy black puppy that sat on her desk.

"Uzumaki, Inuzuka stop this right now!"

Before the two of them could lay a finger in each other, Iruka quickly grabbed Haruka by the collar of her shirt and broke the two apart. Haruka let out a surprised,

"Oof" and Naomi landed back in her chair with a "thud" after her teacher pushed her on her forehead.

"I've had it with you both! Now quit acting like children before I add yet another part to this exam and none of you will leave until nightfall!" Iruka's face was red as his temper rose.

The girls and the rest of the class released their tense expressions immediately, fearing the fact that the exam could get longer still.

Their teacher scowled, "You heard me right! There is now an extra part added to the exam. Think of it as a lesson of the shinobi world,

if one of your teammates fails during a mission the entire team gets punished. In this case your classmate Haruka failed at being on time, so you're all going to take the fall. Got it?"

Iruka glared at his class, then at the pink haired girl whose shirt he still had firmly in his grip. They all settled in response,

with Naomi letting out a grumpy, "Whatever." taking her fluffy companion back into her arms and slumping in her chair.

"Good. Now, sit still and keep quiet while I hand out the written part of your exam." Iruka-sensei let go of Haruka with a push, allowing her to finally

take her seat among her classmates. She let out a downcast sigh as she climbed up the steps to the back row, collecting snickers and glowers from the other students,

which she simply ignored once again. Megumi watched her friend slump into the seat next to her. She moved her chair closer and put a comforting hand on

Haruka's shoulder saying in a low voice as to not attract the structor's attention,

"Well that was troublesome."

Haruka looked up at her with a sorry grin. "Yeah. I just want to get this over with. Sorry for being late, are you mad at me too?"

"Hmm, well I was," Megumi took her hand back and used it to support her chin again, "but not anymore now that you're here. Let's beast this thing alright?"

The two looked at each other with refreshing confidence that contracted the earlier events. After all once they 'beasted' this exam,

they'd be full-fledged gennin, bringing a much anticipated close to their academy days.

"Right~!" Haruka replied and they did a little fist bump to seal the deal.

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Iruka had given his students an hour to complete the exam. One long, painful, exasperating hour. Nonetheless everyone seemed to finish accordingly.

The questions hadn't been too difficult, for Iruka would judge them harder on the physical part of the exam later in the day.

The young ninja students almost flew out of their seats when their teacher let them know they had a forty-five minute lunch break before the next part of their exam.

His class emptied in literal seconds when he gave them his dismissal.

"Be back in exactly forty-five minutes I mean it!"

Haruka and Megumi, being in the back of the class, were making their way towards the door as the last to leave when Iruka suddenly stopped them by blocking their way out with crossed arms.

"Where do you think _you're_ going Uzumaki?" He gave her a scolding glance.

She returned it with a confused slant of the head, followed by Megumi who was just as puzzled.

"_Hasn't he scolded me enough?"_

"Hmm, you seem to have forgotten," he pointed to the opposite side of the room, "about your exploding entrance."

The girls turned to where he pointed. There lying on the floor was the classroom door the pink kunoichi had kicked down earlier. With a nervous laugh she scratched the back of her head,

"Oh yeah…"

"You're not leaving for lunch until you fix this, understood?" Iruka was stern.

With an annoyed groan Haruka replied, "Understood."

"Bummer" Megumi had added. "Well I guess I'll see you la-"

"Megumiii~ Please stay and help me. Please please please oh please!" Haruka had tackled her friend with a pleading embrace,

almost causing the both of them to fall over onto the floor. "Iruka-sensei, could she stay with me?"

"I don't care as long as the door gets fixed before lunch is over." He shrugged and started to walk out, "I meant it! Fix this!"

"Yay! Now you can't deny me!" Haruka snuggled into her friend, who by this point was gasping for air.

"Ugh, fine I'll help you fix the damn door! Just let go of me! You're so troublesome!"

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**Nikky's notes:**

**I hope this didn't seem like a filler... ^_^;**

**It's going to get pretty intense later on for sure though.**

**Leave reviews, those are helpful!**

**I don't own Naruto or by any means am stating that this is the sequel to the series blah blah blah. Support the official release and junk.**


	4. Chapter 3 The ink haired bombshell!

Fun fact before the chapter:

"_Haruka" means "distance" in Japanese._

_. . ._

**Chapter 3**

**The ink haired bombshell: Nara Megumi!**

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"Unh, why is this stupid door so heavy!" Megumi raged as she held the door while her rosy companion tried to pop it back into the hinges she had destroyed earlier with a simple kick.

"Just hold it for a little longer, I think I got it…"

Haruka pushed on the side of the door with all her ninja might, grunting behind her grinding teeth.

Megumi was swiftly loosing the little patience she had. "Come on you fucking door, I want to eat my mochi damn it!"

Suddenly the door promptly clicked into place with much less of the force the girls were using to push it, causing them to bash their heads onto the wooden floor with a fall.

By this point Megumi's ears were letting out a whistle of angry steam.

"Bitch! I'll show you!" She had a knack for talking to inanimate objects.

Megumi sprung to her feet and directed her wrath towards it. Haruka had to wrap her arms around her friend's waist to hold her outrage back,

saving the door from being pulverized and eliminating their chances of ever getting it fixed.

"It's just a door Megi-chan, calm down!"

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With a nice thirty minutes to spare, and after testing it about a million times, the kunoichi pair had finished putting the door back into place correctly,

and in one piece thanks to Haruka being able to calm her friend down. They left the academy without another moment to spare, making their way to the very spot

their friendship had first started; the swing in front of the academy main entrance. They had eaten lunch together there ever since that day,

never breaking tradition give and take the few sick days they had from ninja school. It was almost as if it were instinct the way Haruka flopped playfully onto the lonely swing and

Megumi rested her back on the tree that supported it. The cherry blossom folded her legs and began to sway gently while her ebony headed partner opened a bento box and indulged the mochi her mother had packed for her.

"Mmm, finally. I was so hungry!" She tried to speak through her full mouth, causing Haruka to let out a childish giggle. "You want one?"

Haruka's eyes glowed as she realized the only thing she had eaten was that piece of bread she crammed into her mouth earlier that morning while running to school.

"Yes please!" She stopped mid-swing to accept one of her friends' rice cakes, then continuing the action with a happier stomach.

It was peaceful and nostalgic by that swing. This is where they had met for the first time and four years ago. It seemed like an eternity yet a flash all at the same time.

Their story had started here. They had talked about so much; Shared so many different types of onigri and mochi they mothers had made…

_**-Four years ago-**_

"Hey look it's that little girl, the one with the pink hair."

"Sakura's daughter? Oh… so that's her."

"Poor thing causes her a lot of trouble I hear. I wonder how her mother can cope…"

"Yeah especially after what happened with her fath-"

"Shush! Don't talk about that here!"

A ten year old Haruka was cutely humming an innocent song as she swung in a clearing by a tree in front of the academy main doors.

A man and a woman were been passing by when the woman had acknowledged her from a distance and begun the conversation.

Their presence was brought to the pinkette once the woman loudly shushed her companion. They quickly scurried away once she threw them a glance.

"_Hmph, more creepers whispering about me. It's starting to get really annoying!"_

The young girl was starting to realize lately as she became older how people would act strange around her, especially adults.

They'd always whisper or go out of their way to be nice to her. It was a weird kind of niceness at that, one that felt fake and planned.

Most other times they would simply avoid her or pretend she didn't exist. It had bothered her yes, but she taught herself to just brush it off.

She once thought of talking about this with her mother, but she figured it was no big deal. Not everyone was supposed to like you right? But still…

With a shrug she continued her carefree swinging, letting the wind brush through her thick hair whose length could be the envy of all the other girls.

It was at that oblivious moment she had failed to realize another girl about her age was approaching her at full speed.

"Hey get off pinky! I need to use that swing pronto!"

Haruka barely had time to turn her head towards the origin of the voice before she was ruthlessly shoved off the swing, falling face first onto the dirt.

After spitting dust from her tongue, she flipped so she lay on her back and faced towards her attacker, who was now assuming her position on the swing seat.

It was a girl whose hair was as black as coal, and whose eyes contrasted it with a chilly color of aquamarine. It was such a consuming freezing color you could hardly even see the girl's pupils.

"What the heck are you doing? Why'd you push me!" She was more disturbed than baffled.

"Umm I told you to get off but you didn't listen so whatever. Besides there's this really cute boy coming this way and he'll _totally_ fall for me once he sees my

beautiful hair flowing if I start swinging. SO MOVE!" The girl was passionate and expressive in the way she spoke, as if she was a performer on a stage. This had stood out to Haruka.

However, she still wasn't happy about being pushed like that by a total stranger. "Well I don't care 'cause I was swinging first so it's still my turn. YOU MOVE!"

With that said, Haruka returned the girl's previous action with a relentless push of her own. The force she used was a bit much though,

and it caused the girl to land on her back and for Haruka to fall over the swing and right on top of her.

"You creep! Get off me!"

"You pushed me first! This is your fault!"

"It is not!"

"Is too!"

As the girls struggled on the ground, they boy she had mentioned earlier did arrive and witnessed the quarrel. And, as any boy that age would, noticed that the girls' position on the dirt like that looked anything but modest.

A soft "L-loli yuri..?" escaped his lips before he collapsed from a spurting nosebleed. Ladies and gentlemen… he was completely out.

The sound of his fall had alerted the girls and briefly stopped their scuffing. "Is he o-okay?" Haruka asked, concerned and puzzled.

"I'm… not sure…" the dark haired girl responded. Then using this opportunity, she pushed the pink head from on top of her. The both of them stood, making their way towards the fallen boy.

"Oh wow he's bleeding!" Haruka pointed out, noticing the stream of blood slowly running from the boy's nostrils and over his cheeks onto the ground. "We should get a teacher or something!"

The icy eyed girl was overcome by a thoughtful expression as she tried to figure out what had happened. Suddenly, that deep thought was replaced with a

scandalous grin as she looked at the pink haired girl with a perverted twist of the eye. "Oh I get it now."

Completely oblivious Haruka responded, "Wh-what do you get? Um why are you looking at me like that?"

"Man I am going to get all the boys with you for sure! You're my new secret weapon!" The girl had embraced Haruka, touching their cheeks together.

"What are you talking about? You're a weirdo!"

"No boy is safe from this dynamic duo now! I, Nara Megumi, and you… uh who are you.?

"U-um, Haruka. Uzumaki Haruka."

"Right! Nara Megumi and Uzumaki Haruka are unstoppable when it comes nosebleeds. Konoha, be afraid!"

Haruka had no clue what this Megumi chick was talking about. But she had treated her like… just another girl. She hadn't flinched after hearing her name and

she didn't waste any time trying too hard to be nice to her. Whoever this girl was, and whatever it was she was talking about, Haruka liked her.

She felt… accepted. It was such a new feeling. Such a good feeling. She couldn't help but giggle at the strange girl.

_**-End of flashback-**_

Haruka was brought back to reality by a strong force that knocked her off the swing and into the ground face first.

"_De ja vu?"_

She flopped on her back to face a snickering Megumi who stood above her. She couldn't help but laugh along. She must have been having the same flashback.

A dulcet spring breeze accompanied their hearty laughter, carrying it as if it rejoiced at their friendship.

"I'm gonna miss having lunch with you kid," Megumi said as she helped her friend up to her feet again, "This place has a lot of memories."

"Yeah," Haruka nodded with a sweet smile. "Thank you."

The two of them fist bumped, each with a goofy grin on their faces, and brought an end to their last lunch break together.

"_Thank you!"_

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_**Nikky's notes:**_

**I wrote this at 5 in the morning. Yeah I don't know lol.**

**Tried to make it a little touchy and get some Megumi and Haruka history in there for you.**

**Sorry if the perverted-ness offended anyone. Personally I used it for comic relief and character development but if you didn't like it then... sorry?**

**This is in fact rated T so I'll keep it classy don't worry LOL.**

**If you have any questions please message me, but I will NOT spoil any part of the story! You have enough clues to certain things.**

**Also, I don't own Naruto (duh) and you should support the official release and not just read these fanfictions. YEAH!**


	5. Chapter 4 Like a bull in a china shop

**Chapter 4**

**Like a bull in a china shop.**

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"Are any of you capable of sitting in a chair without having to talk about it?"

It was clear that the lunch break had not been enough to soothe Iruka's temper, for his difficult students were masters at getting on his nerves.

If this had been part of the exam, they would of passed with flying colors for sure.

He stood in an impatient fashion with arms crossed and a twitching eyebrow, waiting on the young teens that shoved one another and spoke so loudly it caused Iruka's ears to ring.

Megumi made sure that she and her unmindful pink companion made it back on time. In fact, they had been the first ones to enter the classroom, and now sat with convincing positive expressions in their eyes.

"Let's pass this thing and graduate already!"

"Right~!"

As soon as everyone was seated Iruka wasted no time in shutting them up with his overpowering voice. "Well then, I'm glad you all made it on time."

He threw Haruka a slim glance, which she responded to by sticking her tongue out at him. "Now it's time for the physical portion of you exam."

The students listened intently, as this was actually more important than telling each other fat jokes for once.

"The rules are quite simple, I'll call each of you up in alphabetical order to perform a technique of my choosing. You'll be graded on accuracy, maintenance, and chakra control."

The structor was interrupted by the ever so blunt Inuzuka Naomi, "Sooo what do we have to do exactly? And what's this extra part we have to take because of stupid Haruka anyway?"

Haruka's face twitched into a sizzling red as she waved her arms in fury, "I'm going to cut you!" Megumi had to hold onto her friend to keep her down on her seat.

"Do it you won't!" Naoko, Naomi's twin, had to hold her companion down as well.

"You have three seconds to stop snapping at each other before I fail you both right here and now!" Iruka attempted to stop their bickering.

The girls let out a simultaneous "hmph" and crossed their arms as they looked away from one another, letting their stressed companions relax into a sigh after having to hold them back.

Iruka cleared his throat, "As I was saying before I was rudely cut off, you will all have to perform a cloning technique as well as an added transformation technique within it.

This will take a great amount of concentration and expertise, but you should all be prepared for it."

His students groaned in unison. There was a tone of regret knowing that the exam had originally been a simple cloning technique, yet no more thanks to their tardy classmate. How troublesome.

"I'm sure you're excited so let's begin. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can all go home." There was obvious sarcasm intended in Iruka-sensei's voice.

Haruka and Megumi both sunk into their seats and rested their chins on the table in front of them. It'd be a while before the N's and the U's would be called.

It was clear they had lost a little of their concentrated determination, and replaced it with bored irritation. A certain boy however,

was ecstatic at the fact that he'd be the first one called up to the front of the class to perform the double techniques. All eyes would be on him, and more importantly of all, Haruka would be watching.

"Aoyama Takatori, you're up."

A boy whose name literally meant, "hawk bird" stood from the crowd of students. His soft face was framed by messy white hair that resembled clouds.

With radiant credence burning strong in his golden eyes, he made his way down from his chair to the open space in front of the room.

He snuck a peek at the lovely blue eyed cherry blossom as he took his place before the class, trying to hide a blushy grin from consuming his features.

Just as he thought, she was looking straight at him. Finally! This was his chance to impress her, and make her notice him after all these years at the academy.

"Alright, you must make three perfect clones of yourself first. Then, you must turn each one into a replica of yours truly." Iruka explained, pointing to himself. "I'm grading every detail so pay attention!"

With a nod, Takatori brought his hands together and closed his eyes in deep concentration. The class became deathly silent.

He felt his chakra channeling through his body, fermenting it into the image he wanted until it was ready to release into a solid form…

…

"_Haruka-chan."_

…

Poof. Three balls of smoke had popped up next to him. After the residue cleared, three clones stood beside their creator. However… they looked nothing _like_ their creator.

Instead, they were indeed perfect replicas of the ever oblivious Uzumaki Haruka, right down to the whisker birthmarks she had on her cheeks.

"Oh shit…" His face was at a blank, almost as blank as Iruka's. His earlier concentration must have collided with his excited thoughts of Haruka watching him.

The classroom roared with uncontrollable laughter, not knowing if Takatori was playing a joke or if it had been the result of his evident crush on the girl. Well, evident to everyone except her of course.

"Are those supposed to be me?" Haruka was completely confused as the only who hadn't found this laughable.

She turned to Megumi for some kind of reassuring explanation but her friend was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, much less speak.

"I-I didn't mean to do that, hold on!" Takatori's face was blood red with awkward embarrassment as he attempted to re-do the jutsu.

He was so nervous and fidgety now that when he attempted to fix his mistake, he ended up making the clones into versions of him with pink hair instead of white.

This only gained a higher booming laughter from the crowd, and more perplexity from Haruka. Takatori was sure he could faint at any minute now.

"Oh it's going to be a long day…" Iruka had given up on being angry. He was just kind of there now, not knowing what to expect next from his colorful ninja students.

. . .

_**-At Konohagakure Main Hospital-**_

"I'll be back to check on you momentarily alright? Take it easy until then."

"Thank you dear."

A woman with a long white lab coat was leaving an old patient's room, gently closing the door behind her and holding onto a clipboard with her other hand.

She seemed to be in her early 30's, but her most striking features were her light pink hair tied up in a ponytail, and a wide forehead.

She made her way down the hall into a larger room with a circular desk occupied by bundles of paperwork along its surface.

The woman was greeted warmly by another who looked a bit older and stood behind the desk with papers in her hands.

"Good afternoon Sakura~."

"Afternoon Shizune," she responded smiling, "Here's some more for you."

The pink haired woman, Sakura, unclipped a stack of papers from her clipboard and handed them to the woman at the desk.

Shizune let out a nervous chuckle at the amount of work she had to get done before the day was over.

"This never ends does it?" Her sigh was accompanied by an 'oink' coming from her trusty chubby companion TonTon, who lay lazily on the floor beside the desk.

"Just get as much done as you can, don't worry." Sakura comforted her with another reassuring grin.

"Sakura-sama, you have a visitor. She says she can't wait." The voice had come from a rookie nurse who had suddenly shown up beside the two women.

"Alright then." She didn't attempt to hesitate. She already had a familiar feeling it was about her daug-

"Sup miss forehead?" That candid name calling gave away the visitor's identity in a second.

Sakura's right eye twitched. "Ino…" she muttered huffily.

The blonde bombshell entered the room and landed her right elbow on Sakura's shoulder. "You busy healing people and junk?"

"Don't toy with me Ino! If you came all the way out here just to get on my nerves then leave."

Shizune giggled anxiously at the two women. Their personalities around one another hadn't changed a bit since they were younger.

The nostalgia had tickled her. It was nice to know that some things never changed.

"Chill out will you, I actually came here with some news." Ino removed her arm from the irritated nurse. "It's about your precious little pink flash~"

Sakura sighed. She had figured as much. "What is it this time?"

"Well I personally don't have a problem with her, but the villagers came complaining to me again this morning about her causing some kind of ruckus.

Seems like she was late to school or something." Ino explained.

"Great." The medical nin's voice was bubbling with vexing sarcasm. She had expected something like this to happen, given the fact her daughter had always been a clumsy dolt.

It wasn't her fault as much as it was her personality in general.

"I know you don't like hearing it but it's my job as an officer and all." Ino pointed out. "It's not like Megumi is any better behaved." She shrugged with a frown.

"Maybe that's why they get along so well." Sakura indicated crossing her arms.

The women lit up a bit after she said this, almost smiling at each other even. They seemed to be lost in thought all of a sudden, to a time where they had once been young like their daughters.

A simpler time where they had gotten along without name calling. A time where the two of them were inseparable. Was it fate?

"Well, I'll be seeing you mighty brow." Ino had brought a close to their brief trip down memory lane.

"Later Ino pig." Sakura's voice reached her as the two turned to walk away from each other.

"U-um Sakura-sama, not to bring further rain to your parade but, they need you to fill in for floors 4 and 5 tonight."

Shizune was careful with her tone, as she knew her fellow medical nin had a mighty temper, not just a mighty forehead.

Sakura stopped abruptly in her tracks, evident anger boiling within her as her temples pulsed on the sides of her head.

If there was one thing that irked her more than people complaining about her daughter, it was when they made her work nights in short notice.

"CHA!" The nin spun on one foot and threw her clipboard across the room, as if the action was created by the instinct to punch someone who wasn't there.

The board slammed against the wall, causing the oversized TonTon to jump into Shizune's arms in alarm and make her to fall over.

"If anyone else needs me, pretend that you don't!"

. . .

_**-Back at the ninja academy-**_

Iruka had managed to somehow calm his class after Takatori's uncomfortable performance and continue on with the exams.

The now timid boy had attempted to sink far enough into his chair as to make himself disappear. Hey hoped diligently that Haruka wouldn't hate him for what had happened.

To his luck, she hadn't cared much for what had happened, nor did she really understand it anyway.

As Iruka moved further down the alphabet, the girls began to tap their fingers in anticipation. Most of the students had been doing fine, not perfect, but good enough as far as Iruka was concerned at this point.

Soon enough the N's came up and Megumi was the first called from that group.

"Yes finally!" There was joy in her tone.

"Good luck Megi-chaaan!" Haruka cheered her on with enthusiasm. A fist bump with her friend was called for before she made her way down.

Like Takatori, Megumi had someone in mind when taking her stance before the rest of the students.

She directed her glance towards a boy who hadn't indulged in the laughter or rowdy talking from earlier, and whose thick hair resembled hers in its dark color.

He sat with a nonchalant expression on his face, barely even paying attention to the events that were taking place. He was the infamous Nekoya Katsu,

and his looks definitely did not fail in attracting more than just Megumi's attention. Of course there was a catch to him; he was very difficult to please.

Most of the other girls in the class had worked their asses off in attempt to make him at least crack a grin, especially Megumi who was well known with the other boys as the queen of nosebleeds.

Hey, it was a title she was proud of alright?

"Go ahead Nara." Iruka gave her the cue.

With her trademark scandalous smile, Nara Megumi focused her chakra into three balls of smoke. As soon as they lifted,

Iruka's jaw dropped to the floor as he realized it would take quite a lot of strength in him to get his class back on track once again after this scenario.

"This one's for you, Katsu-kun~."

Megumi had successfully and quite accurately created three clones of herself… with nothing but the leftover smoke from the jutsu to cover their naked bodies that were positioned ever so erotically next to each other.

The sight had won over every girl's outrage, except Haruka who did an innocent thumbs up for her friend in attempt to reassure her; and gained a streaming nosebleed from every boy, except Katsu who simply looked away with a bored face.

Megumi couldn't believe her plan had failed. "Aw come on!" She stomped her foot on the wooden floor. "You must be gay!"

"NARA MEGUMI YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO STOP THIS BEFORE I FAIL YOU!" Iruka yelled as best he could through his own bleeding nostrils.

"Okay, okay sheesh," with a quick motion she transformed her clones into flawless replicas of her teacher. "Happy now?"

Iruka was speechless at how easily she had done it.

"J-just… just go back to your seat. Dear lord." His final words were followed by a banging migraine.

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**Nikky's Notes:**

_**"... as if the action was created by the instinct to punch someone who wasn't there."**_

**Did anyone get that intended reference? :)**

**I'll give you a hint: who always seems to get knocked around by Sakura, dattebayo?**

**teeheehee~~~~~~ yeah.**

**Once again I stuck some fanservice in there, but it's part of Megumi's character so whatever.**

**You guys got to meet two brand new completely fan made characters in this one LOL. Keep them in mind, they're hella important.**

**It took me a while to figure out how I was going to do the whole Ino/Sakura scene, but I think it turned out alright.**

**Leave me your opinions! They help, seriously!**

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto...**

**Except on weekends. I own his foxy ass then.**


	6. Ch 5 Schoolgirl shenanigans and Baa chan

**Chapter 5**

**Schoolgirl shenanigans and Baa-chan**

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A disappointed sigh revealed how Iruka was in disbelief that his lewd student would waste her abilities on something so… disgraceful.

After directing her back to her seat he reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a tissue to wipe his nose with.

"Good job Megi-chan, you killed it!" Haruka rose from her chair with excitement for her friend's performance as she made her way back next to her.

It was baffling how the girl was so blissfully unaware of the explicit nature of what she had done.

Megumi only puffed her cheeks in response and sat with a slanted posture. "That wasn't good, it didn't work at all! I though for sure I had him that time…"

She threw a yearning glance at the boy of her dreams who sat a few rows in front of her. "I'll just need to think of a more effective plan I guess."

Haruka was familiar with the fact her friend really liked that Katsu kid. She just didn't understand her risqué approach. "I'm sure you passed though, your Iruka clones were perfect!"

She smiled with a sweet tilt of the head, winning a little grin back from her classmate.

Soon enough it was the U's turn to take the exam. Haruka sprung up from her chair when her name was finally called, almost falling over due to the amount of force she used in the jump.

Skipping merrily down the stairs, all eyes on her, she made her way next to her teacher. He looked down at her sternly, holding onto his clipboard with all of the student's names on it.

He almost flinched when she returned the look with those familiar blue eyes that shot nostalgia through him.

"I'm ready sensei!" She placed her right hand in front of her forehead, symbolizing an army cadet, brimming with confidence.

"Ready to fail, yep you are." The crude comment had come from none other than Naomi, followed by a laugh-like bark from her sheep looking dog.

Haruka's teeth gritted as she threw her index finger at the girl's direction, "Why don't you make like a dog and go lick your crotch!"

"What did you say ho? Come over here so I can punch those whiskers right off your pretty little face!" Naoko had to tackle her sister down to keep her from charging at the pinkette,

while her bashful puppy bit onto the others tail trying to stop it as well with a snarl. The action had caused Megumi to slam to the floor with unstoppable laughter.

"I swear one of these days…" Iruka's headache had only intensified, "Cut it out you two! Haruka, pay attention!"

In an instant she quickly directed her attention back to her sensei, in fear of getting another scolding. "Sorry, I'm paying attention!" Her hand went back up in salute position.

Naomi stuck her tongue at her and turned away, relieving her sister from the strain of holding her back.

"Go ahead, and no tricks!" His warning was absolute.

"Right~ Here goes…" The young kunoichi pressed her index and middle fingers tightly together, interlocking the rest of her fingers so her palms jointed. Her forehead bore a

concentrated frown as she focused her energy into the identical images in her mind.

"Doppelganger technique!"

A monstrous wave of smoke filled the entire classroom in a split second, causing the students to cough in distress. It took a while to subside, but once it eventually did,

it revealed not three, but a good thirty clones of the girl. They took up every bit of space in the class, giggling and pressing against each other in a struggle to make room.

"What the hell?" Naomi blurted, trying to push a group giggly Harukas out of her face.

"There's got to be at least thirty!" Another student wearing a green jumpsuit exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"_Haruka-chan… there's so many…" _Takatori covered his mouth and nose with both hands. Soon enough his palms were soaked with blood as the clone girls pushed closer into him, due to the lack of space.

Megumi burst out in her cackling once again and fist bumped one of the clones beside her.

Iruka became mystified at the sheer number of them, not knowing what to say right away. The blue eyed girl held a similar expression.

"Oopsie, I only meant to make three…" She scratched the back head with skittish fingers, disrupting the thickness of her rosy locks.

"_Seems like she's still a novice at controlling her chakra." _Iruka though with a heavy breath. _"Still, her flawless ability to maintain such high levels of chakra is quite remarkable."_

He grinned a bit, as the thought had reminded him of an old student of his.

However his nostalgia induced smirk was swiftly replaced with a serious look. "Uzumaki, what is the meaning of this?"

"U-um sorry! It was an accident, I uh, um, I don't know what happened…" The girl became fidgety and scratched her head harder.

"This is perfect Haruka! Now show 'em like we practiced!" The booming voice came from Megumi, who was now in a stance with one leg on top of the desk and a burn in her eyes that could melt their icy color.

With a foolish grin overcoming her features, Haruka raised her fist in the air. "Okay!"

Not knowing what to expect, and without enough time to stop it, Iruka and the class watched helplessly as the cherry blossom brought her hands together again to perform another jutsu.

"Secret technique, sexy ninja harem~!"

Yet another ball of smoke occupied the air as each and every clone transformed. Once the smoke escaped through the cracks in the window and wooden walls,

the army of pink haired teenage girls was visible again. Only this time, a matching pair of lacey black bras and panties adorned their barely naked bodies.

Every face in the class was either red with arousal or embarrassment. Katsu was the only one who looked to be uninterested; seemingly annoyed at the way a few Haruka clones were cuddling him.

Takatori on the other hand went flying off his chair, propelled by a nosebleed that amplified as the clones placed themselves around his twitching body.

"U-uzumaki… N-nara…" Iruka-sensei could barely make out the sounds in his speech. "YOU BOTH HAVE JUST EARNED A 2 HOUR DETENTION AFTER SCHOOL!"

. . .

_**-Konohagakure Hokage's Office-**_

Spring filled the air inside a room with a messy desk on the second floor of a bulky building as a well-endowed woman unlatched a set of windows.

"Stuffy as hell in here lately." Her voice seemed much older than her appearance. She brushed strands of blonde hair from her eyes as the wind blew against her face.

The day was bright and sweet, teasing her since she had to stay stuck indoors with that mess on her desk. She looked back at it for a moment and grunted with irritated disfavor. "I need a drink."

The woman rested her oversized bosom on the windowsill, putting her cheek on her right hand and starring out onto the horizon of colorful Leaf Village rooftops.

Before she let the wind carry her mind away, she felt something uncomfortable itching between her breasts. Reaching down her kimono blouse with curiosity,

she grabbed something smooth within her fingers. A quiet gasp escaped her glossed lips when she realized what the item was; a necklace with a sky blue crystal.

The First Hokage's necklace. She had completely forgotten about hiding it in her kimono.

It was clear the jewelry had induced a confounded expression upon her. The wind swayed the item from side to side, causing her honey colored eyes to become deep as they voyaged into her memories.

Those memories turned her face soft and neutralized her stress from before. To any one else, the pendant would not have seemed so peculiar, but for the woman it brought a familiar feeling of loss in her heart.

"_Baa-chan! . . ."_

"Tsunade-sama, are you occupied? I brought you lunch." A voice came from the direction of the door, followed by an oinking sound.

The woman snapped out of her thoughts with a flinch and turned to see her long time apprentice, Shizune, standing at the entrance with a bag in her hand and a smile on her face.

Tsunade's pet pig Tonton kept close behind her, getting starry eyed after seeing his master.

"Oh good, I'm starving. Come on in." She said, putting the necklace back where she found it.

Shizune made her way inside, closing the double doors behind her. She attempted to set the bag down on the Godaime Hokage's desk but every inch of it was inhabited by papers and stamps.

"_Looks like my desk back at the hospital." _Shizune chuckled at the thought of their similarities.

"Just put it on the floor by the carpet, it's only us two we don't need to be classy." The blonde woman told her as she petted the overweight porker, making him squeal with joy.

"Hehe alright then."

. . .

"How's the hospital?" Tsunade said with a mouth full of rice.

"Busy as always." Her apprentice responded with a shrug. "I see you are here as well." She added with a glance at the fifth Hokage's monstrous paperwork.

Tsunade groaned. "This went by much faster when you worked here with me." She picked up another mouthful of food with her chopsticks.

Shizune could only give her a nervous smile. "I'm sorry."

"Nah don't be. You're not really my apprentice anymore after all." She sighed and continued to chew. Shizune had graduated from Tsunade's shadow years ago.

She was proud of the short haired woman, but she secretly missed her all the time.

Shizune finished swallowing a dumpling before she spoke again. "I know you have enough to worry about as is," she hesitated for a short moment,

"but another officer came to talk to Sakura again today."

Tsunade frowned and took a disgruntled bite out of a piece of chicken. "I already had a group of villagers come complain to me this morning. I've really had just about enough of this."

Shizune braced herself, not wanting the scenario at the hospital to repeat itself knowing Sakura and Tsunade had similar tempers. The woman just let out a deep breath instead.

"I don't blame her you know." Her voice was quiet. "She can't help it, the girl's just like…" The blonde Hokage stopped mid sentence as her eyes deepened again. "It's just her personality I guess."

The women were silent for a while. The sound of their chopsticks hitting against plastic plates was all there was. The wind occasionally chimed in, but never stayed for long.

"These people will find any reason to dislike her won't they?" Shizune's face became dark and her body still. "They make such a big deal out of everything she does,

always running after her and Sakura with nothing but angry words. Don't they think they've suffered enou-"

Shizune's words were stopped by the sound of Tsunade slamming her glass cup down on the floor. Her sepia eyes pierced the shocked woman. "Then don't act like one of them."

Tonton watched the two anxiously. "Feeling sorry for them all the time is just as cruel."

The ex apprentice widened her eyes with nothing to say. Realizing the Hokage's words had been true she looked down in a bit of shame.

"I know, I'm sorry." She twiddled her chopsticks between her fingers. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

A stronger gust entered through the window and blew the women's hair over their saddened faces and rustling the plastic bag the food was brought in.

"Things never turn out the way we say they're supposed to be." Tsunade admitted, biting another piece of chicken. "We just deal with it, that's all."

Shizune nodded lightly, letting the breeze cradle her face. When she looked back up at the blonde her eyes widened again at the sight of the item she had pulled out of her blouse.

"Tsunade-sama th-that's… you still have it?" Her tone was astonished.

"I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it." The busty woman said, admiring how the item shone in the light from the open window. "This might sound stupid but… I was afraid if I lost it I'd forget about them for good."

Shizune's bewilderment slowly morphed into a twinkling grin. "That's not stupid. I think it's really sweet."

The fifth Hokage sighed into a very slight grin as she put the jewelry around her neck where it had once been in what seemed like ages, and then continued to devour her lunch.

. . .

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**Nikky's notes:**

**Ummm I don't know what to write. I hope you liked the chapter :)**

**I though it was important to mention Tsunade is still Hokage, and her necklace is kind of crucial to mention as well since we all know who had it last.**

**I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.**

**Please support the official release.**


	7. Ch 6 Detention with a gift

**Chapter 6**

**Detention and a gift.**

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For the first time during that entire day Iruka's classroom had been completely quiet for more than two minutes. Even the gentle breeze outside was audible now. Exhausted, he took this opportunity to collapse into the chair behind his desk, rubbing his temples with a groan.

"_Finally."_

However, it wasn't long before his precious silence was regrettably shattered by a familiar high-pitched voice.

"So like, how much longer do we have to sit here?"

Iruka frowned, taking a deep breath. "There's no talking allowed in detention, Uzumaki! And I made it clear it was two hours!"

The scolded girl puffed her whiskered cheeks into her famous pout and crossed her arms in accordance. She still didn't seem to fully understand the reason for her punishment, even now that her and Megumi were banished to opposite sides of the room and made to sit motionless. The two girls had watched in near agony as the rest of their classmates had been allowed to leave and find out if they passed the final exam or not. The torture of having to sit still and wait for the response to their fates as ninja was seemingly unbearable.

Megumi began to tap her sandals on the wooden floor in frustration. "This is so stupid."

"What did you two not understand about shutting up in detention?" Iruka had to grit his teeth to keep himself from loosing it. It was the end of the day and his patience had checked out long ago.

"I don't get why we have to stay a whole two hours, it's STU-PID-AHHHH." Megumi put full emphasis in her words in an edgy tone, waving her arms in the air mockingly. Haruka covered her giggling with both hands from the other side of the room.

At this point Iruka was ready to jump up on his desk in a frenzy. "That is enough! Do either of you have any shame? Have you learned nothing all these years at the academy? Wasting your abilities on techniques like that, what would your parents think? !"

Struck by his final words, Haruka's fists slowly tightened into a clench as her eyelids lowered to form a frown on her face.

"_What would your mother think?_

_Look what you've done._

_Again."_

All signs of her earlier bliss had been totally washed away. There was a brief quiet before she rose from her seat, slamming her closed fists onto the table in front of her.

"You know, it's not like my mom doesn't get to hear enough about me all the damn time! Everybody just loves it when I screw up don't they?"

Her statement had been a shock, even to herself. It was clear Iruka's words had hit some kind of nerve within her. His glance widened a bit as he was taken back. Megumi did the same, feeling a bit of a pang in her stomach, knowing Haruka as well as she did.

"W-wait… sorry, I-I didn't want to yell." Haruka's short-lived fire had already burned out. Regretting her outburst and not wanting to get into further trouble, she retreated quickly into her chair. Her eyes were careful to keep to themselves. "Sorry." She said again, but in more of a whisper, as if the apology was meant for someone who wasn't around. Or perhaps it was for her own comfort.

"_Again."_

Iruka felt as if he should say something more, but instead decided to end the whole situation with a sigh and a final sentence. "Just be quiet until detention is over."

With that he slumped into his chair and began to look over his students' stat papers. It was mostly to keep his mind distracted from some kind of guilt over what had just happened.

Megumi stared at her friend's back as she looked away into the window beside her. She probably knew Haruka better than she knew herself, however she could never fully grasp just what exactly was on the pinkette's mind. It was almost hypnotizing to her trying to comprehend Haruka's train of thought. Aside from her oblivious expression and silly comments, what was it really like to be in her shoes? Megumi had always known there was something different about her friend, but she simply couldn't understand, despite her efforts, why somebody so carefree could have such a bitter face like that. It made her feel responsible for some of the trouble she had gotten into. She wondered if she had really been there for Haruka all those years they spent together. Was she really the friend Haruka gave her credit for?

"_Geez, I'm thinking too much." _Megumi thought shaking her head slightly. She then proceeded to rest her forehead on the cool wood of the desk and hide her face with folded arms.

"_I'll just nap through detention and before I know it it'll be over and she'll get over it. She always does."_

. . .

The faint sound of rustling leaves provided the room with music as minutes turned into an hour, and eventually into two. Iruka had almost dosed into a nap himself, but shook it off as the clock hit 5. "All right girls." He said, stretching his back with a crack.

The sudden sound from his voice caused Megumi to jolt backwards and wake from her deep slumber, mumbling half-asleep words along the lines of: "No Katsu, don't touch me there."

She was quick to come about though, rubbing her heavy eyes open. As many who have just woken up do, she looked around to confirm her surrounding and her gaze landed on Haruka, who was still sitting in the same pose looking out the window. She didn't seem to have heard Iruka yet.

"_Has she really been like that the whole time?" _Megumi thought while brushing her bangs from her face.

"You're free to go, the both of you." Iruka said, a little louder this time. Haruka blinked away from her drifting gaze and looked around as if she had been sleeping as well. Her right cheek was a bit red from where she it had been resting on her hand.

Megumi watched her friend until their eyes finally met. It wasn't long before Haruka threw her a sweet smile in response.

"_See, she's fine."_ Megumi reassured herself. She could almost hear herself sigh in relief.

The girls got up, stretching their limbs in awkward ways. Megumi was the first to make her way down the rows of seats, followed by Haruka soon after. As the two passed Iruka's desk, Megumi abruptly stopped, causing her friend to bump her nose against her back.

"Hey wait, aren't you gonna tell us if we passed or not?" the brunette asked, facing her teacher.

Iruka blinked. "Oh that's right. I almost forgot." His face was serious now.

Megumi and Haruka looked at each other, then at their teacher, grabbing each other's hand and crossing their fingers on their free hand.

"Nara Megumi…" Iruka started. The aura in the room had gotten intense in mere seconds. "You shamefully used your abilities on inappropriate justu." Megumi's face tightened. "However, your clones of me were perfect. You pass."

Iruka was almost regretful in his tone, but dulcet at the same time. The girls looked at each other with big bright eyes.

"HELL YEAH!" Megumi blurted with her fist in the air.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Haruka said excitedly, tackling her friend in full embrace. The two hopped in each other's arms.

Iruka couldn't help but let out a slight grin at the scene. None of his other students had expressed their feelings as openly as these two did, that was for sure.

Suddenly they stopped as if on cue. "Wait wait wait." Haruka repeated, letting go of the girl and slamming her palms on Iruka's desk. "What about me sensei?" There was fire in her blue eyes again. Megumi followed her action and slammed her own palms on the wooden table. "Yeah yeah yeah. What about Haruka?"

Iruka was serious once again. "Megumi, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a work with Haruka alone."

"Ehhhhh? But why?" Megumi said, elongating her tone in confusion. Haruka was a bit worried now.

"Megumi." Iruka shot a stern look at her. "Step outside alright?"

The brunette pouted then turned to her friend. "Whatever, I already know you passed so I don't need to stick around." With that she ruffled her friend's messy pink hair playfully, causing her to giggle cutely.

"Later!" she said as she walked out the door, leaving Haruka to face her fate alone.

The pinkette gulped slightly, having lost the comfort of her friend's presence. She wondered why Iruka wanted to speak with her alone. Was she still in trouble even after detention? She mutely groaned at the thought.

Iruka's serious stare pierced her for a few seconds more, as if he was contemplating something. Haruka flinched and stiffened. Eventually he sighed into a softer face. "Calm down, you passed too. Despite your lack of chakra control, you exceeded at maintaining your levels."

At first Haruka's jaw dropped a few floors down. Her eyes then widened and her mouth curled into a big toothy grin. "All right! I'M AWESOME!" She couldn't help but break out into a victory dance consisting of an excited yet awkward hip thrust followed by an off balance ballerina twirl.

"Okay okay, settle down. There's a reason I wanted to speak to you alone about this." Iruka told his student, causing her to stop mid-dance.

"Why was that?" she asked him, assuming a normal standing position once again. Instead of answering her, Iruka proceeded to open a drawer behind his desk and pull out a small shuriken bag sealed with a single button. Haruka watched with eyes still as wide and ever so curiously blue. Undoing the button, Iruka slowly opened the bag and pulled something from it.

Haruka bent over a bit with her hands clasped behind her back for a better look at the item he had laid on the desk in front of them. Sitting there was standard deep blue Konoha headband. However it was nothing like Haruka was expecting. Gaduates were supposed to get brand new shiny ones. This one was obviously old and had lost its luster. It barely shone in the light. Cracks and dents covered the silver part and the cloth looked shabby.

"Uhh… what the hell is that?"

"Huh? Isn't it obvious? It's a Konoha headband!"

"Yeah but just look at it, it's all old and dingy."

"Hey! I was going to give you this before anyone else got theirs. It's a gift! Be more respectful."

"Haha this gift is so lame sensei. I'm a _new_ graduate, so I need a _new_ headband."

Iruka's eyebrow twitched at her reaction. The girl was on the verge of giggling.

"Oh yeah? Would you still think it's lame after I told you whose this was?" He said crossing his arms.

"Hmm? Whose was this then?" Haruka was still a bit giggly and uninterested.

Iruka's face softened again.

"This was you father's headband."

The pink haired girl's heart skipped and fell to her stomach. Her blue eyes glowed the form of disbelief as she raised them to meet her sensei's.

"Wh-what… my… his…"

She had forgotten how to speak. There were no words she knew. There were no words at all. As she lowered her head to look at the item again, everything about it had changed. There were no flaws. It was not old. There was beauty in it now. It was so much more.

"But I guess if you want a new headband, I can just keep this one and…" Iruka began, but was cut off.

"No no! I mean, it's great. The best gift I've ever gotten!" She was able to sum up those words in the midst of astonishment.

The simple fact that there was something very real standing before her that had belonged to her father, was enough to make her faint. He was such a mystery to her, such an illusion. No one ever mentioned him; his name was even treated as taboo. Haruka never dared asked anyone about the subject. As far as she had ever been concerned, he had never existed. Ever. But there and then, right before her eyes, was solid proof.

"Is it… really his?" Haruka needed reassurance. The topic of her father was no man's land. To think that Iruka had a treasure like this was difficult to believe.

"Yep, it's his all right." He responded, staring at it with memories threatening to fog his vision. "I gave it to him a long time ago when he became a genin. It's only fair for you to have it now."

Haruka couldn't stop staring at it. She wasn't sure if she should pick it up or not, worried her touch might disrupt it's meaning, or something deep like that.

"Go ahead, it's yours now. Uzumaki Haruka."

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**BALLS! D:**

**Dear lord this took me forever to finish. I'm so lazy I know, I know.**

**SORRY!**

**But this story is definitely not dead.**

**I really want to see how far I can go with it.**

**Hope no one is upset and you liked the chapter :)**

**I'll be uploading more recently I promise yeah yeah!**

**-I don't own Naruto lalala-**


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